Teach Secondary - Issue 14.6

“Have you packed everything?” Daniel Harvey runs through the list of what staff should do before students depart for a residential trip... R esidential trips require detailed planning, which should be focused on enabling as much enjoyment, fun and engagement as possible, without compromising safety or standards. No one wants to remember a school trip for all the wrong reasons – so here are some steps that trip leaders can take to ensure the trip is successful for everyone. Bedroom arrangements Trip leaders should have already gotten to know the students who are going either directly, or via heads of years, pastoral staff and parents. Knowing the students and ‘ what they’re like ’ (teacher code for ‘ Can they be trusted to behave and make good decisions? ’) can help you plan how best to group the students together in overnight accommodation. Ask the students who they want to roomwith, but check the proposed groupings with staff who know themwell, and if necessary, share any concerns with the students and their parents directly. Working out how far staff will be located from students’ rooms is also important for establishing your check-in ABOUT THE AUTHOR Daniel Harvey is a GCSE and A Level science teacher and lead on behaviour, pastoral and school culture at an inner city academy and monitoring procedure. Remember that even familiar trips taken with tried and trusted providers can depend for their success on the makeup of the party. Expectations and standards It’s essential that clear expectations and standards are established, based on the school’s approach to behaviour. Sharing these early with students and parents is a good way of getting everyone familiar and on board with how the trip will be managed. End of day routines, bedtimes, presence in others’ rooms and general behaviour in and around the hotel or centre should all be explicitly addressed, with clear rules given. These expectations aren’t there just to support great behaviour, but to ensure that the students all stay safe and happy. It may be wise to collect all students’ phones in the evening before bed, so as to avoid the ‘accidental’ posting of unnecessary photos or videos to social media. This measure also has the benefit of facilitating calmer bedtimes and supporting student wellbeing. Keeping busy A golden rule for any residential trip is make sure each day is a busy one, with plenty for students to do. Long days spent viewing attractions, walking, speaking foreign languages and engaging in physical activity can result in very tired young people. Leaving your base before 9am, walking to various destinations throughout the day and eating out, before returning at 9pm or later can support a good going-to-bed routine. Your staff might be tired too, but be sure to check that those student expectations established before the trip are being diligently followed. Check-ins Regular check-ins with students at your overnight accommodation will ensure things are going smoothly. In the morning, check that everyone is okay, knows what will be happening that day and what time breakfast is. At bedtime, check again that everyone’s all right, that the day they’ve just had was a good one, and that they’re now ready to sleep. I’m sure many readers will have once been on corridor duty late into the night, ensuring that students stay in their rooms… Students should know where to find trip staff at all times, and be issued with the phone number of the main trip contact in the event of any emergencies. Phones I’ve previously seen how, for some students, regular evening phone calls weren’t enough, as their anxiety could sometimes get the better of them during the day. Where this was known, procedures could be implemented for parents and/or school wellbeing support staff to be contactable by the student throughout the day. Some young people (and parents) may want to communicate issues to you directly throughout the trip via phonecalls and emails. Sometimes these messages can be helpful in alerting you to problems that have yet to come to light, enabling you to deal with them promptly. And yes, sometimes they’ll be expressions of ‘parental concern’. Deciding on how often you intend to deal with suchmessages as part of your trip planning, and explaining your reasoning to parents should help to establish a dialogue that’s both constructive and useful. 73 teachwire.net/secondary S C H O O L T R I P S